Diagnostic data set component

ABSTRACT

Various embodiments for retaining diagnostic information for data in a computing storage environment are provided. In one such embodiment, a diagnostic component associated with a base data set via a catalog association record is initialized. The diagnostic component configured to retain base data set-specific diagnostic information retrievable by the computing storage environment to assist in error diagnosis.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates in general to computers, and moreparticularly to a method, system, and computer program product forretaining base data set-specific diagnostic information fortroubleshooting in a computing environment.

2. Description of the Related Art

The majority of businesses in the world today use computers and computeroperating systems to store and manage information. The informationstored in computer operating systems is typically organized intocatalogs. Users may want to pass information from one catalog to anotherfor several reasons. For example, the user might want to assign eachdivision within a company its own catalog. Thus, the company would needto pass information associated with the division that is stored in thecompany catalog into a corresponding division catalog.

Catalogs are utilized to organize and locate data sets. A catalog inessence is a data set that contains information required to locate otherdata sets. A data set is often the fundamental unit of data storage andretrieval and typically consists of a collection of data in one ofseveral prescribed arrangements. These arrangements are described bycontrol information to which the computer operating system has access. Adata set is a collection of logically related data records stored on asingle external storage volume, or a set of volumes. A data set can be,for example, a source program, a library of macros, or a file of datarecords used by a processing program. A catalog does not have to be onthe same volume(s) as the data sets the catalog describes. A catalog canrefer to hundreds or thousands of data sets spread across many volumes.

Catalogs are sometimes structured in an integrated catalog facility(ICF). An ICF catalog may include two components. One component containsnon-data-specific information, or the logical description, of a dataset. The other component contains data-specific information, or thephysical description, of a data set. Catalogs allow users to find andaccess a data set by name without knowing the exact location of the dataset in memory storage. By cataloging data sets, users do not need toknow about the storage setup.

Currently, when a user receives an error for a specific data set, theuser must gather information from numerous sources in an attempt topinpoint the root cause of the error. For example, the user may have toexamine system logs, logrec error logs, joblogs, system managementfacility (SMF) records, and a variety of additional shared repositoriesfor information related to this specific data set. The process ofsorting through potentially numerous amounts of data to find smallportions relating to the specific data set may expend resources, such astime and bandwidth.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In light of the foregoing, a need exists for a mechanism alleviating thedrawbacks described previously, whereby a user can find usefulinformation relating to a specific data set without having to searchthrough a variety of sources and through potentially a large amount ofdata.

Accordingly, various embodiments for retaining diagnostic informationfor data in a computing storage environment are provided. In one suchembodiment, by way of example only, a method for retaining diagnosticinformation for data in a computing storage environment is provided. Adiagnostic component associated with a base data set via a catalogassociation record is initialized. The diagnostic component configuredto retain base data set-specific diagnostic information retrievable bythe computing storage environment to assist in error diagnosis.

Additional system and computer program product embodiments are providedand provide related advantages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the advantages of the invention will be readilyunderstood, a more particular description of the invention brieflydescribed above will be rendered by reference to specific embodimentsthat are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that thesedrawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are nottherefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the inventionwill be described and explained with additional specificity and detailthrough the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exemplary computing environment;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary data set maintenance resource;

FIG. 3 is an block diagram of an exemplary data structure; and

FIG. 4 is a flow chart diagram of an exemplary method for retainingdiagnostic information for data in a computing storage environment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present description and claimed subject matter describe exemplarysystem, method, and computer program product embodiments for retainingdiagnostic information for data in a computing storage environment.These embodiments leverage what is referred to herein as a diagnosticdata set component, a data structure that is associated with a specificdata set. In one embodiment, the diagnostic data set component may beconsidered an appendage to a specific data set. The diagnostic data setcomponent may be adapted to retain diagnostic information relating tothe specific, base data set to which it is associated. In oneembodiment, the component may retain critical diagnostic information.

The diagnostic data set component, in one embodiment, may be associatedwith the base data set via a catalog entry that logs the association andis used to direct the diagnostic information to the correct location.When a problem arises with the base data set, the information in thediagnostic component may then be retrieved for the specific data set. Inother words, the diagnostic component retains data set-specificdiagnostic information.

FIG. 1 depicts one embodiment of a computer system for retainingdata-set specific diagnostic information in accordance with the presentinvention. The computer system 100 includes a mainframe computer 110, asystem bus 120, a central processing unit (CPU) 122, a random accessmemory (RAM) 124, a network interface card (NIC) 126, input/output (I/O)devices 128, a network 130, a router 132, a computer 134, a switch 136,the Internet 138, a direct access storage device (DASD) 140, a data setrecovery resource 150, an integrated catalog facility (ICF) catalog 160,and one or more volumes 170.

The depicted computer 110 houses the system bus 120. The system bus 120may provide a communication link among components within the mainframecomputer 110 such as the CPU 122, the RAM 124, the NIC 126, and the DASD140. In one embodiment, the CPU processes and transmits data receivedover the system bus 120 from and to components connected to the systembus 120. The system bus 120 may provide a communication link toperipheral devices such as I/O devices 128.

The I/O devices 128 may communicate with the mainframe computer 110 viathe system bus 120. The I/O devices 128 may provide a communicationchannel from the computer 110 to a user. Each I/O device 128 mayindividually include a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse, or the like.

The network interface card 126 may communicate with devices external tothe mainframe computer 110 via the network 130. In one embodiment, thenetwork interface card 126 provides a communication link between thesystem bus 120 and the network 130, thus allowing the computer 110 tocommunicate with devices on the network 130. Such devices may comprisethe computer 134, the switch 136, or the router 132. The computer 134may be another computer 110, a workstation, a server, or the like. Therouter 124 may have a connection from the network 130 to the Internet138.

The depicted DASD 140 may reside as a component in the mainframecomputer 110. In one embodiment, the DASD 140 stores part of the dataset recovery resource 150. In the depicted embodiment, the data setrecovery resource 150 is housed entirely within the DASD 140. The DASD140 may also store part of the ICF catalog 160. In the depictedembodiment, the ICF catalog 160 is housed entirely within the DASD 140.The ICF catalog 160 may comprise volumes 170. Volumes 170 may comprisedata regarding data sets (i.e., metadata) as well the data setsthemselves.

The ICF catalog 160 stores information about other data sets. In oneembodiment, the ICF catalog 160 is a data set storing information aboutother data sets. This information may include data set attributes aswell as data set locations to facilitate retrieving a desired data setonly by name without requiring a user to specify the data set'slocation.

FIG. 2 depicts one embodiment of a DASD environment comprising a dataset maintenance resource and an integrated catalog facility (ICF)catalog in accordance with the present invention. The DASD environment200 includes a data set maintenance resource 210, an information module212, system management facility (SMF) records 214, a determinationmodule 216, and an execution module 220. ICF catalog 230 includes avolume 240, a volume table of contents (VTOC) 242, a VSAM volume dataset (VVDS) 244, data sets 246, diagnostic data set components 248associated with the data sets 246, a volume 250, and a basic catalogstructure (BCS) 252.

Data sets 246 are collections of logically related data records. Datasets 246 may include both VSAM and non-VSAM data sets. Virtual storageaccess method (VSAM) is an IBM® disk file storage scheme used inmainframe computer operating systems. The VSAM storage scheme has beenimplemented throughout operating systems utilizing the MVS (MultipleVirtual Storage) architecture. The MVS architecture originated in theMVS 24-bit IBM® operating system, which has evolved into the presentz/OS® 64-bit IBM® operating system.

The VVDS 244 may be considered an extension of the VTOC 242. The VVDS244 may store information about VSAM and non-VSAM data sets. Informationnot stored in the VTOC 242 may be stored in the VVDS 244 such as VSAMdata set attributes, VSAM data set catalog name, and non-VSAM data setcatalog name.

The BCS 252 may be used by the data set maintenance resource 210 toobtain information regarding data sets 246. The information that may bestored on the BCS 252 is a volume the data set resides on, a data settype, a data set association, and ownership of the data set. In oneembodiment, the BCS 252 points to multiple VSAM Volume Data Sets and,consequently, to multiple Volume Table of Contents. The relationshipbetween the BCS 252, VVDS 244, and VTOC 242 is not exclusive.

In the depicted embodiment, the data set maintenance resource 210includes the information module 212, the determination module 216, andthe execution module 220. The data set maintenance resource 210 mayexecute the preceding modules. In one embodiment, the data setmaintenance resource 210 receives control statements from a director. Adirector may be a person, process, or application configured to providea set of control statements. Control statements are a set of commandsfor the computer system. One example of control statements are JobControl Language (JCL) control statements. These statements identify theuser, indicate what processes are to be run, what resources arerequired, and what priority to allocate to the job.

The information module 212 may retrieve information regarding data sets246 on a volume 240 from the VTOC 242. The information retrieved by theinformation module 212 may include identification of one or moredesignated volumes. In one embodiment, control statements from thedirector are examined by the information module 212 to identify thedesignated volume. Control statements may be used to identify a functionto be performed by a selected program or utility. Control statements mayalso be used to identify specific volumes or data sets to be maintainedor processed. Other information retrieved by the information module mayinclude a data set name, catalog status, the type entry in the catalogsuch as the type of data set or the VSAM index of a VSAM data set, orassociated data set names if applicable. The information module 212includes SMF records 214 in a data repository for tracking such actionsas opening a file, closing a file, and catalog updates of VSAM datasets. Other information retrieved by the information module may includea data set name, catalog status, the type entry in the catalog such asthe type of data set or the VSAM index of a VSAM data set, or associateddata set names if applicable. The information retrieved may furtherinclude identification of data sets to bypass during the recovery.

In one embodiment, the information module 212 runs an IEHMAP utility toread the VTOC 242. IEHMAP is a utility that will analyze a volume andprint a report showing the exact location of each extent of all the datasets on the volume. The IEHMAP utility may generate a report of thecontents of the VTOC 242. In this embodiment, the information module 212passes IEHMAP the initial control statements generated by the directorand IEHMAP identifies the volumes 240 and 250 to perform maintenance onbased on those control statements. The information obtained from theinformation module 212 may be gathered in a report where information maybe extracted.

In accordance with the present invention, information module 212 may beconfigured to retain and/or retrieve diagnostic information indiagnostic components 248 as will be further described in detail.Diagnostic components 248 contain data set-specific diagnosticinformation for indexed and non-indexed data sets alike, such as VVDS244 and data sets 246.

In the depicted embodiment, the determination module 214 determines oneor more recovery operations to perform. The determination module 214 mayexamine VTOC and/or VVDS information, including data set-specificdiagnostic information to determine one or more operations to perform,such as operations pursuant to troubleshooting an error as one ofordinary skill will appreciate. The determination module 214 may use thediagnostic information obtained from the information module 212 forfurther determination in the data set maintenance resource 210.

The execution module 220 executes the one or more generated controlstatements to perform various operations on the data sets 246, such asstoring, retaining, and retrieving data set-specific diagnosticinformation contained in the diagnostic components 248. In oneembodiment, the execution module 220 selects a utility or a preexistingrecovery application to execute the generated control statement with.Selecting a utility may be based on the type of data set to beprocessed. In another embodiment, selecting a utility is based on thesyntax of the control statement.

One utility that may be used by the execution module 220 is IDCAMS.IDCAMS is a utility used to create, delete, rename, catalog, oruncatalog data sets. IDCAMS may also be used to manage catalogs. Anotherutility that may be used by the execution module 220 is IEHPROGM.IEHPROGM is a utility that provides facilities for deleting or renamingdata sets and for cataloging or uncataloging non-VSAM data sets. Stillanother utility that may be used by the execution module 220 is VSAMExamine. VSAM Examine is a verification tool for VSAM data sets.

The ICF catalog 230 may include the volumes 240 and 250. In the depictedembodiment, volume 240 includes the VTOC 242, the VSAM volume data set(VVDS) 244 and the data sets 246. Also in the depicted embodiment,volume 250 includes the basic catalog structure (BCS) 252. In thedepicted embodiment, both the ICF catalog 230 and the data set recoveryresource 210 reside on the DASD 140. The data set maintenance resource210 may act on the ICF catalog 230 and its components to performoperations relating to the retention and retrieval of data set-specificdiagnostic information.

The data set maintenance resource 210 utilizes the VTOC 242 to obtaininformation about volume 240 and data sets 246. The VTOC 242 may storecertain information regarding data sets such as data set attributes anda description, which may include size, location, and extent information.The VVDS 244 may also be used by the data set recovery resource 210 toobtain information regarding data sets 246.

In view of FIG. 2, and turning now to FIG. 3, a block diagram of anexemplary diagnostic component 248 is shown. Diagnostic component 248includes a record identifier portion 260, followed by a diagnosticinformation portion 262. Record identifier 260 is used by variouscomponents in the data set maintenance resource 210 to identify aparticular diagnostic component 248. For example, the record identifier260 allows for, when the diagnostic information is read by the data setmaintenance resource 210, the ability for the resource 210 to read backrecord by record such that the resource 210 is aware of what type ofdiagnostic data the records are for. Diagnostic information 262 containsdata set-specific diagnostic information for a base data set as will befurther described.

Diagnostic component 248 may, in one embodiment, be associated with abase data set via a catalog association record maintained by the dataset maintenance resource 210. The catalog association record may be, inone embodiment, maintained in the BCS entries 252, the VTOC entries 242,or elsewhere in the ICF catalog 230. When the base data set is updated,the associated diagnostic component 248 may also be updated when certainevents take place. This diagnostic component 248 may be created pursuantto a variety of circumstances. For example, the diagnostic component 248may be created when the data set is first created during the initialdefine, or the diagnostic component 248 may be added later to apre-existing data set.

The diagnostic component 248 may be configured such that, in oneembodiment, when a listcat (list catalog) operation of the base data setis performed, the operation will also show the associated diagnosticcomponent 248 for the data set. The diagnostic component 248 may beincorporated to a variety of functions carried out by the data setmaintenance resource 210, such as during data set backup and recoveryprocessing, or data set move operations.

When a data set becomes damaged, several pieces of information may beused to piece together events that caused the damage. These events maybe added to the diagnostic component 248. In one embodiment, thediagnostic component 248 is generally smaller than the actual data set,and due to space constraints contains the most recent diagnosticinformation retained for the data set.

A variety of diagnostic information may be included in the diagnosticcomponent 248, as one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate. Thefollowing are examples of such information. First, a number of times(e.g., last 10 times) the data set was opened for output may be tracked.Various events, such as a particular job, system, time of open, time ofclose, and, when available, the high used relative byte address at thetime of closure, may be logged. These activities may be performed suchthat when the SMF records are cut for a specific file, an extension tothe SMF processing for open and close activity updates the diagnosticcomponent 248.

In a second example, the last backup data set may be tracked, includingthe name of the backup, location, and date of the backup. These trackingoperations may be performed by using existing backup products such ashierarchical storage management (HSM) update the diagnostic component248 for those data sets which have such at the time of backup. In athird example, each system that accessed the data set may be recorded.In many cases, serialization issues exist between systems as one ofordinary skill in the art will appreciate, and clients may not be awarethat another system is accessing a particular file. This information maybe, in one embodiment, tracked during the SMF processing at open time.

In a fourth example, prior events related to the data set may be kept.These events may include error message that had previously been issuedagainst a particular base data set. This process may be accomplishedthrough several different mechanisms, such as including monitoringsyslogs and monitoring data set level errors, and updating those datasets that have the diagnostic component defined. Another method mayinclude those programs issuing data set level error messages to indicatein the error event that this type of event should be logged for thosedata sets with a diagnostic component. At this time of the error, acatalog locate may be used to determine if the diagnostic componentexisted at that time.

A fifth example relates to the failure of address spaces. Typically,when an address space fails, enqueues (ENQs) for data sets are cleanedup. For those data sets with an diagnostic component, such a clean upevent would be tracked. For example, the ENQ type and owner may belogged along with a timestamp to show that the data set was open at thetime of an address space crash. When the ENQs are being removed, thecatalog information may then be checked to see if the diagnosticcomponent exists, and the information would then be recordedaccordingly.

Finally, other usable, tunable options could also be added. These couldinclude things like extent information, and when the extent was moved orprocessed by space management products including any differencesresulting from such movement or processing. In addition, the diagnosticinformation may also include when changes to the extent allocation ismade, such as partial release or extent consolidation, again as one ofordinary skill in the art will appreciate.

Turning now to FIG. 4, a logic flow diagram of an exemplary method 270for retaining data set-specific diagnostic information in a computingstorage environment is depicted. As one skilled in the art willappreciate, the described method may be implemented by various means,such as hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereofoperational on or otherwise associated with the computing storageenvironment. For example, the method 270 may be implemented, partiallyor wholly, as a computer program product including a computer-readablestorage medium having computer-readable program code portions storedtherein. The computer-readable storage medium may include disk drives,flash memory, digital versatile disks (DVDs), compact disks (CDs), andother types of storage mediums. The method 270 may be carried out byvarious components of the data set maintenance resource 210 (FIG. 2), aspreviously described, such as by various data set modules.

Method 270 begins (step 272) with a circumstance causing the diagnosticcomponent to be associated with a particular base data set (step 274).As previously described, this association may be made pursuant tocreation of the base data set, or the diagnostic component may be addedto a preexisting data set. At this time, the diagnostic component isinitialized and associated with the data set, for example, via a catalogassociation record (step 276). The system then operates as normal, and,for example, monitors for error messages, etc. (step 278).

At some point, an event is detected that is associated with a particulardata set (step 280). A variety of events may be detected as previouslydescribed, such as when a data set is opened, or a backup operation forthe data set occurs. Once this occurs, the system may scan message textto pull a particular data set name (step 282). The system may thenperform a catalog locate operation (step 284). If, pursuant to thecatalog locate, it is determined that the data set has an accompanyingdiagnostic component (step 286), then the system stores the diagnosticinformation relating to the event in the diagnostic component (step288). For example and as previously described, this process may includestoring diagnostic information relating to events such as logging a job,system, time of open, time of close, or a system that accessed the dataset.

Once the diagnostic information is stored, or the system determines thata diagnostic component is not associated with a particular data set, thesystem returns to step 278 to continue operation as normal. If, at alater time, an error/error message is detected (step 290), the systemmay retrieve the diagnostic information from a particular base data setdetermined to have caused the error (step 292). This may be performedvia a catalog locate or by other means previously described. Once thediagnostic information is recovered, the system may use the informationto perform troubleshooting operations to determine, for example, rootcause of the error/error message (step 294). The system is able toquickly find and access the data set-specific diagnostic informationrelating to the base data set causing the error without having to searchthrough a variety of locations. The method 270 then ends (step 296).

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “module” or “system.” Furthermore,aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer programproduct embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s) havingcomputer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storagemedium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wired, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of theforegoing. Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspectsof the present invention may be written in any combination of one ormore programming languages, including an object oriented programminglanguage such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventionalprocedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming languageor similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirelyon the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computerthrough any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

Aspects of the present invention have been described above withreference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods,apparatus (systems) and computer program products according toembodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block ofthe flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations ofblocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, may beimplemented by computer program instructions. These computer programinstructions may be provided to a processor of a general purposecomputer, special purpose computer, or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions,which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus, create means for implementing thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. The computer program instructions may also beloaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, orother devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed onthe computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce acomputer implemented process such that the instructions which execute onthe computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the above figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

While one or more embodiments of the present invention have beenillustrated in detail, the skilled artisan will appreciate thatmodifications and adaptations to those embodiments may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention as set forth in thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for retaining diagnostic information fordata in a computing storage environment by a processor device,comprising: initializing a diagnostic component, apart from a volumetable of contents (VTOC), that is associated with an integrated catalogfacility (ICF) catalog and with a base data set from a plurality of datasets via a catalog association record, wherein the diagnostic componentis configured to retain base data set-specific diagnostic informationretrievable by the computing storage environment to assist in errordiagnosis and the ICF catalog is one of the plurality of data setsstoring a plurality of information about the plurality of data sets forfacilitating a retrieval of a name of the base data set and assists withretaining and retrieval of the base data set-specific diagnosticinformation; storing the base data set-specific diagnostic informationpursuant to at least one event associated with the base data set,wherein storing the base data set-specific diagnostic informationpursuant to the at least one event associated with the base data setincludes performing each of: tracking a number of times the base dataset is opened for output, logging at least one of a job, system, time ofopen time of close and a high used relative byte address at a time ofclosure, tracking a last backup data set, logging at least one of abackup name, backup location, and backup date, logging a history of eachsystem that accesses the base data set, logging at least one prior errorevent, logging an enqueue (ENQ) operation performed subsequent to anaddress space failure, and logging extent information associated withthe base data set.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein initializing thediagnostic component is performed pursuant to one of creating the basedata set and adding the diagnostic component to a preexisting base dataset.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein logging the at least one priorerror event includes logging at least one error message previouslyissued against the base data set.
 4. The method of claim 3, whereinlogging the at least one error message previously issued against thebase data set includes indicating in, by an owning application, that anerror event type associated with the at least one prior error eventshould be logged in the diagnostic component.
 5. The method of claim 1,further including: monitoring for one of an error and error messages,detecting one of the error and the error message, and retrieving thebase data set-specific diagnostic information from the base data setdetermined to have caused the error.
 6. The method of claim 1, furtherincluding detecting the at least one event associated with a data set,wherein the at least one event includes at least one of opening the dataset and performing a backup operation for the data set.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, further including, upon detecting the at least one eventassociated with the data set, performing each of: scanning message textto extract a name of the data set, and performing a catalog locateoperation, wherein the data set-specific diagnostic information relatingto the event is stored in the diagnostic component if a determination ismade that the data set has an accompanying diagnostic component.
 8. Asystem for retaining diagnostic information for data in a computingstorage environment, comprising: a processor device operable in thecomputing storage environment, a data set module operational by theprocessor device in the computing storage environment, wherein the dataset module is adapted for initializing a diagnostic component, apartfrom a volume table of contents (VTOC), and is associated with anintegrated catalog facility (ICF) catalog and a base data set from aplurality of data sets via a catalog association record, wherein thediagnostic component is configured to retain base data set-specificdiagnostic information retrievable by the computing storage environmentto assist in error diagnosis and the ICF catalog is one of the pluralityof data sets storing a plurality of information about the plurality ofdata sets for facilitating a retrieval of a name of the base data setand assists with retaining and retrieval of the base data set-specificdiagnostic information, storing the base data set-specific diagnosticinformation pursuant to at least one event associated with the base dataset, wherein storing the base data set-specific diagnostic informationpursuant to the at least one event associated with the base data setincludes performing each of: tracking a number of times the base dataset is opened for output, logging at least one of a job, system, time ofopen, time of close, and a high used relative byte address at a time ofclosure, tracking a last backup data set, logging at least one of abackup name, backup location, and backup date, logging a history of eachsystem that accesses the base data set, logging at least one prior errorevent, logging an enqueue (ENQ) operation performed subsequent to anaddress space failure, and logging extent information associated withthe base data set.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the diagnosticcomponent is an appendage to the base data set, and the catalogassociation record is used to direct the base data set-specificdiagnostic information to a correct location.
 10. The system of claim 8,wherein the at least one prior error event includes at least one errormessage previously issued against the base data set.
 11. The system ofclaim 10, further including an owing application in communication withthe data set module, wherein the owning application is configured toindicate in the at least one prior error event that an error event typeassociated with the at least one prior error event should be logged inthe diagnostic component.
 12. The system of claim 8, wherein theprocessor device is adapted for: monitoring for one of an error anderror messages, detecting one of the error and the error message, andretrieving the base data set-specific diagnostic information from thebase data set determined to have caused the error.
 13. The system ofclaim 8, wherein the processor device is adapted for detecting the atleast one event associated with a data set, wherein the at least oneevent includes at least one of opening the data set and performing abackup operation for the data set.
 14. The system of claim 8, whereinthe processor device is adapted for, upon detecting the at least oneevent associated with the data set, performing each of: scanning messagetext to extract a name of the data set, and performing a catalog locateoperation, wherein the data set-specific diagnostic information relatingto the event is stored in the diagnostic component if a determination ismade that the data set has an accompanying diagnostic component.
 15. Acomputer program product for retaining diagnostic information for datain a computing storage environment, the computer program productcomprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium havingcomputer-readable program code portions stored therein, thecomputer-readable program code portions comprising: a first executableportion for initializing a diagnostic component, apart from a volumetable of contents (VTOC), that is associated with an integrated catalogfacility (ICF) catalog and with a base data set from a plurality of datasets via a catalog association record, wherein the diagnostic componentis configured to retain base data set-specific diagnostic informationretrievable by the computing storage environment to assist in errordiagnosis and the ICF catalog is one of the plurality of data setsstoring a plurality of information about the plurality of data sets forfacilitating a retrieval of a name of the base data set and assists withretaining and retrieval of the base data set-specific diagnosticinformation; a second executable portion for storing the base dataset-specific diagnostic information pursuant to at least one eventassociated with the base data set, wherein storing the base dataset-specific diagnostic information pursuant to the at least one eventassociated with the base data set includes performing each of: trackinga number of times the base data set is opened for output, logging atleast one of a job, system, time of open time of close and a high usedrelative byte address at a time of closure, tracking a last backup dataset, logging at least one of a backup name, backup location, and backupdate, logging a history of each system that accesses the base data set,logging at least one prior error event, logging an enqueue (ENQ)operation performed subsequent to an address space failure, and loggingextent information associated with the base data set.
 16. The computerprogram product of claim 15, further including a third executableportion for initializing the diagnostic component pursuant to one ofcreating the base data set and adding the diagnostic component to apreexisting base data set.
 17. The computer program product of claim 15,further including a third executable portion for, pursuant to logging atleast one prior event, logging at least one error message previouslyissued against the base data set.
 18. The computer program product ofclaim 15, further including a third executable portion for: monitoringfor one of an error and error messages, detecting one of the error andthe error message, and retrieving the base data set-specific diagnosticinformation from the base data set determined to have caused the error.19. The computer program product of claim 15, further including a thirdexecutable portion for detecting the at least one event associated witha data set, wherein the at least one event includes at least one ofopening the data set and performing a backup operation for the data set.20. The computer program product of claim 15, further including a thirdexecutable portion for, upon detecting the at least one event associatedwith the data set, performing each of: scanning message text to extracta name of the data set, and performing a catalog locate operation,wherein the data set-specific diagnostic information relating to theevent is stored in the diagnostic component if a determination is madethat the data set has an accompanying diagnostic component.